Del braced for Murray bids

May 6 2011 By Gordon Bannerman

DEREK McInnes yesterday confirmed he expects interest to grow in prized midfielder Murray Davidson – but he’s in no rush to see the fans’ player of the year moving on.
With Dundee United midfield dynamo David Robertson (24) agreeing to a switch to McDiarmid Park for next season despite a more lucrative offer, speculation is mounting that Davidson could be on his way, with the Perth club sure to demand a hefty six-figure fee for a player who has broken into the Scotland squad this term.
While Davidson (23) has been linked with interest from Premiership clubs south of the border, including Wolves, Everton and Bolton, and also Rangers in Scotland, the manager who plucked him from Livingston two years ago in a bargain £50,000 deal along with defender Dave Mackay, yesterday stressed no offers had been received at McDiarmid Park.
McInnes, who has tied-up his highly rated midfield star on an extended deal, said: “We know which clubs are keeping an eye on our players and who are sending scouts to games.
“We know there has been a bit more interest in our team and given his performances Murray would be one of a few here attracting attention. But there has been no contact from any club.”
McInnes isn’t expecting the inevitable conjecture to impact on Davidson’s performances over the last three games of the season.
He said: “Murray is single-minded and driven. There is nothing wrong with ambition in any footballer. But it is one thing clubs being interested and another following it up with a concrete bid. I am interested in dozens of players and speak to agents all the time. That is probably where we are with Murray right now.
“But do I expect interest to firm-up in Murray in the future? The answer to that would have to be yes.”
Davidson missed out on a cap against the Faroes and Brazil but could feature in Craig Levein’s squad again to face Wales and the Republic of Ireland in the Carling Cup this month.
In a major coup for McInnes, home-grown Tannadice star Robertson has opted to make the move from United to Saints with his contract expiring, with a two-year deal tied-up.
It emerged this week that he had told Arabs boss Peter Houston he would be moving on and wanted a fresh challenge after a decade at Saints’ Tayside rivals.
McInnes, who in the next week will decide the future of several players going out of contract, also revealed he had cut short the loan of Hearts’ Lithuanian winger Arvydas Novikovas, who hasn’t made an impact at Perth since being farmed out in January.
He said: “I spoke to Hearts manager Jim Jefferies. Arvydas hasn’t made the contribution we had hoped for and I felt it was more important to look at players who might be here next season.”